Raja Rishi of Relevance

 

 

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Aum Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam

Aum Namo Narayanaya!!!!

 

There are many who would proudly occupy any platform and bellow out that they belong to the oldest religion in the world, or that their organisation has celebrated 100 years of existence. Lots of prestige is assigned to practices or places that have stood the test of time. In contemporary times though, we are starting to see this infatuation fizzle out with the heat of reason and relevance. On a quick cross reference to the Bhagavat Gita, we are made aware of the pitiful state that Arjuna found himself in, in a real-life situation despite receiving the best education available at the time. We should always ask the relevance of anything that we practice. The one who was able to neatly and seamlessly retrofit the ancient Vedanta into contemporary life with rationality and relevance was the Raja Rishi of this age: Swami Vivekananda.

In a week from now, we will be commemorating his 158^th birth anniversary and it is astonishing how his every spoken word is drenched with practicality and relevance. Swami Vivekananda was not afraid to clash with ancient ideas if it did not resonate with his own life experience and most importantly if they did not have the power to raise you and make a positive impact on you. Swami Vivekananda did not invent his own doctrine or philosophies. He was in fact a very disciplined pupil of his Guru - Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Swamiji was the Vyasa who etched and crystallised the practical Vedanta of an unlettered Paramahamsa on the modern mind.

As I pen this blog, the world is caught in a whirlwind that has shattered many practices that we thought were core to our religion and life. The Corona Virus or Covid 19 brought a halt to Temple visits, prayers, services and rituals that people participated in as the end rather than the means. In the face of this calamity, undeniably like Arjuna, many are drinking from the trough of despondency. It is easy to read inspirational quotes daily, but without assimilation would these quotes support your falling morale and hope at the time of distress? Swamiji gave relevant methods to live and worship that would ensure you can stand amid the state of nature confidently and gracefully.

I would be arrogant and disrespectful if for one moment I think that these meagre words can dare capture the effulgence of a personality that is beyond the midday sun. Therefore, with utmost humility, I nimbly touch on one teaching that is very relevant to the crisis we face currently.

Swami Vivekananda said: "he who worships Shiva in the weak, poor and diseased (he who worships God in man) really worships, those who only worship Shiva in an image, his worship is but preliminary." 

Right now, in South Africa the infection numbers are in excess of 18000 per day and climbing at an alarming rate. This is very difficult to digest because it is a known fact that the virus is only able to spread through contact. If we were able to reach a level of consciousness to understand and see the Lord like Swamiji in every human being, then our decorum would like how we stand before the deity in the Temple. Love, respect and service is a default demeanour to the divine. Then the most relevant ritual that we can all practice right now is wearing a mask, sanitising our hands and social distancing. This will please the Shiva in all.

The other important teaching that Swamji gave us is that we need character-building man-making education. Those who have only passed through the secular system have failed to see the bigger picture and how their efforts of pure material accumulation are in vain. So many people enriched themselves by exploiting the situation at hand - such as price gauging and preventing critical PPE and equipment from reaching the most vulnerable and frontline workers. Money that could have been used to serve so many are in the hands of the greedy. I pray they are starting to see how useless the money in their accounts are when they can't buy a hospital bed or oxygen when they are lying there gasping for breath. Even the deity in the Temple has no use for the bargaining currency. If people stand back and do nothing as masses fall dead - all that one has accumulated will equate to zero. The fight is not a fight of the government or the frontline workers. This is a collective fight. Dish out as per your means resources to setup extra beds and oxygen points at hospitals, buy medicines for those who can't afford it and feed those who are weakened by hunger. This is the abhishegam the Lord needs now. The fragrance of your generosity and the rituals of self-discipline (mask, sanitise, social distancing) will please the Lord greatly.

On this birth anniversary, let us always chant out Swamiji's call "Arise Awake"!!! Arise from our ignorance and Awake to the reality. May the Lord who dwells in every human and morsel of this universe bless us, is my prayer.

Jai Swamiji! 

With love and prayers always,

Yogan